All of the IFA poultry farmers who supply Carton Brothers, one of Ireland's largest poultry processors, with chickens for market have invoked their right not to grow the seventh batch. This is due to start from September and could result in a full strike.

According to IFA poultry committee chair Nigel Renaghan, farmers made the decision due to a poor price differential with other poultry processors.

“There is at least a 10c/bird price differential in comparison with the other major processors,” he told the Irish Farmers Journal. “Farmers have told me that they won’t be in a position to grow the seventh batch for Carton Brothers because it is not economically viable for them to do so,” he added.

Renaghan said that as chair of the IFA poultry committee, he was backing the farmers who have decided not to grow and as a supplier himself he will be doing the same. He said the problems have been ongoing between farmers and the poultry processor for the past six to 12 months.

“Carton Brothers has yet to contact me in my capacity as IFA poultry committee chair in relation to this decision by the farmers. They are more than welcome to do so, but as of 5pm today (Monday) I have not heard from them. If this plays out over the next few days, there will be 650,000 fewer birds on Irish retail shelves within the next 35 days.”

Legal letter

On Friday 21 August, 13 individual farmers and all the farmers who are members of the IFA chicken co-op received a legal letter from Cartons saying that a court injunction would be taken out against them if they persisted in refusing to grow the seventh batch.

Meeting

The poultry farmers involved in the decision, of which there are about 80, are meeting on Monday night in the Four Seasons Hotel in Monaghan at 8.30pm to discuss their legal rights. The majority of the farmers are based in Co Monaghan and Co Cavan.

The Irish Farmers Journal could not make contact with Carton Brothers on Monday, but the story will be updated once a statement from the company becomes available.

Carton Brothers is one of the oldest family companies in the country and dates back to 1775. It is now in the eighth generation of the Carton family, with Vincent Carton the current managing director. The company employs 824 people directly and contracts a further 160 farmers nationwide. It produces in the region of 850,000 fresh chickens weekly.